Heel attaching machine



\ March 21, 1939. J. T. LANCASTER HEEL ATTACHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 29, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 21', 1939. J. T, LANCASTER 2,151,038

- I HEEL ATTACK-TING MACHINE Filed Oct. 29, 1956 i4 SheeC sSheet 3 M2572 a l I -March 2-1, 1939. J. 'T. LANCASTER 2,151,033

' HEEL ATTACHING MACHINE 7 Filed Oct. 29, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE HEEL ATTACHING MACHINE Application October 29,

8 Claims.

This invention relates to heel attaching machines and particularly to machines for attaching heels to shoes by means of an adhesive, such as cement.

object of the invention is to provide an improved machine by which heels may be cement attached to shoes rapidly and with greater uniformity and strength than heretofore.

* To this end there is provided, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a multi-station machine at one station of which is a mechanism 'for molding the heel seat of a shoe to conform exactly to the cup of the heel, at another station @the heel is applied to the shoe and the shoe and heel are subjected to clamping pressure, while other stations provide opportunity for other operations, hand or otherwise, to be performed upon the shoe.

:I prefer to jack and clamp each shoe sepa- 20 rately in an individual jack or clamp of an unconnected series and in order to secure maximum flexibility in operation the jacks may be arranged ,to travel around a circular or other orbital track and stop automatically at definite stations where operations may be performed upon the shoes.

In the cement attachment of a heel to a shoe .is important to the production of a strong bond that the heel be pressed tightly against the heel seat of the shoe and kept under fairly heavy pressure until the cement has set. Experience has shown that after the initial application of pressure the shoe materials and, to some extent, the cement continue to yield gradually and when the work is held in a fixed clamp for a time considerable of the pressure is sometimes lost, with the result that the joint is not as strong as it might be whereas if the contraction of the materials is followed up by the pressure applying apparatus so that the pressure is maintained at the initial high value, or even somewhat increased, a joint of maximum strength is obtained.

A feature of the invention, accordingly, consists in the provision of follow-up means for restoring or increasing the pressure from time to time after the initial application thereof.

As illustrated herein, the pressure is applied by screw and automatic means are provided for further turning the pressure screw from time to time as the jack proceeds around the track after leaving the station where the initial pressure is applied.

These and other features and details of the invention will be better understood and appreciated from reading the following description of 1936, Serial No. 108,237

one practical embodiment thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a view in front elevation of a heel attaching machine with certain parts broken a away to reveal details of internal structure;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a View in elevation and section upon the line III- III of Fig. 2, illustrating certain details at the center of the machine;

Fig. e is a side View, partly in section, of one of the shoe and heel clamping jacks and its carrier;

Fig. 5 is a front View of the jack;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the jack carrier;

Fig. 7 shows a detail of the mechanism for connecting the jack carrier to and disconnecting it from the driving member;

Fig. 8 is a plan view partly in section upon the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section upon the line IXIX of Fig. 5, showing the structure of the last and last support, and

Fig. 10. is a plan view of the heel seat portion of the last.

In the drawings, 12 indicates a casting comprising the base of the machine and providing a bearing for a vertical hollow shaft [4 to the lower end of which is keyed a worm gear l6 meshing with a worm l8 fixed upon a horizontal shaft 20, which may be continuously driven from any suitable source of power in order to rotate the hollow vertical shaft l4.

Keyed to the upper end of the hollow shaft i l is the hub 22 of a wheel having five radial spokes 2d and a solid rim 25 to the periphery of which are secured at suitable intervals by means of screws 28 a series of jack driving dogs 30, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

Extending through the hollow shaft I4 is a stationary vertical post 32 the lower end of which is secured by a set screw 34 in a bracket 36 supported by the base l2 and the upper end of which has secured to it by a set screw 38 the hub portion to of a stationary spider having three arms 42, 4A, 46, the outer end of each of which provides a flattened side face 48 for engagement by a portion of the pressure applying mechanism to be described later.

Four radial arms 50 bolted to the sides of the upper portion of the base l2 serve to support a circular track consisting of inner and outer concentric rails 52 and 54, respectively, upon which a series of unconnected individual shoe and heel clamping jacks travel from station to station. These jacks are identical in construction and indeterminate in number, according to the size of the machine and the length of time during which it is required that the work be held under pressure by reason of the number and nature of the operations to be performed on it and the set ting characteristics of the cement or cements used.

Each jack is supported upon a carrier comprising a table 56 which is drilled horizontally to receive anti-friction rolls 58 which run upon the tops of the track rails 52, 54 and are maintained in their proper positions in the table 56 by screws 68 the points of which engage in grooves 62 in the rolls (Figs. 4 and 6).

Other, vertical, anti-friction rolls 64 which fit in the space between the track rails are held to the under side of the table 56 by shouldered bolts 66 threaded into the table at 68 (see Fig. and having enlarged heads I8 which serve to hold the carrier down to the track.'

A jack base I2 rests upon and is supported by the carrier table 56 upon which it is permitted to swivel around a vertical axis by a shouldered bolt I4 passing loosely through the table 56 and threaded into the jack base at I6, as shovm in Fig. 4. A tapered detent plug I8, urged downward by a spring 88 into a hole 82 in the upper face of a bracket 84 which projects forward from the table 56, provides for locking the jack base against swivel movement upon the table but may be lifted against the tension of the spring by a handle 86 to permit the jack to be swung around through any desired horizontal angle.

Slidably mounted in the base I2 is a plate 88, held down by gibs 88 and adjustable forward or rearward of the jack base by means of a screw 82 which is threaded into said base and is provided with a collar 94 bearing against the rear face of a forwardly and downwardly projecting portion 96 of the sliding plate 88. The portion of the screw 82 in front of the collar 94 is smooth and passes loosely through a hole in the member 96,-hav-ing secured to its front end a hand wheel 98 the hub of which bears against the front face r of the member 96, thus providing for adjustment of the slide 88 and the last support carried thereby.

Arising from the slide 88 are two curved arms I88, I82, in the upper ends of which are fastened horizontal stub shafts I84, I86 upon which is hung for free swinging movement, about an axis transverse to the jack, a cradle I88. The floor portion of the cradle I88 is formed to provide a last support II8 upon which the cone of a last 2- may be placed, a last pin II 4 being screwed into the support II!) and adapted to enter the last thimble I I6 to position the last and prevent it from shifting horizontally upon the support 8, and the axis of the shafts I84, I86 is so positioned that it will substantially passthrough the hell seat of a lasted shoe upon the said support.

Extending rearward from the last support H8 is an arm I I8 to the rear end. of which is pivoted at I28 an upwardly extending yoke I22, between the upper ends of which is mounted a back gage I24 having a lining of leather, rubber or the like I26. The-back gage I24 is positioned to engage the back of a shoe I28 upon the last H2 and project upward past the shoe bottom toprovide positive positioning means for the back of the heel I38 to be attached to the shoe, as shown in Figs .4 and 9.

In order to accommodate lasts having difierently positioned pin holes the yoke I22 and the back gage I24 are adjustable about the pivot I28.

To this end, a threaded stud I82, extending laterally from the yoke 22, passes through a curved slot E34 in a rearwardly projecting portion I36 of the left hand side of the cradle I88 and a threaded nut I38 having a handle I48 is adapted to be tightened upon the stud 932 to clamp the yoke I22 firmly to the said cradle portion I36, making the back gage I24 rigid with the last support. The gage I24 thus constitutes'a combination gage for the rearof the shoeand the rear of the heel, insuring the placing of'the heel so that its back face will form a smooth continuation of the line of the back face of the shoe.

In order to provide pressure for clamping the heel 238 upon the shoe I28 a presser foot I42 is pivotally mounted upon a pin I44 carried by a vertically slidable bar N58. The bar I46 is guided for free vertical movement in a hole I48 formed in the upper portion of an upright I58 which is the center of a hollow pressure screw I56 to the upper end of which is secured by a set screw I58 a hand wheel I68.

Interposed between a collar I62 upon the lower end of the rod 554 and the lower end of the pressure screw I56 is a stifi spring I64 which is sumciently heavy to sustain the entire pressure to be applied to the work. A collar I66 threaded upon the upper end of the rod I54 and bearing upon the upper face of the hub of the hand wheel it!) provides for adjusting the tension of the spring I64.

The pressure screw I56 is freely slidable vertically through a guide opening I68 formed in the overhanging portion of the upright I58 and its threads are engaged by a worm gear I18 fixed upon a horizontal shaft I12 which is journaled in bearings I14, I16 formed in the said overhanging portion of the upright I58. A hand lever H8 is keyed upon the shaft I12 and constitutes manually operable means for turning the worm\ gear I78 and consequently moving vertically the pressure screw I58 engaged therewith.

In order to lock the lever I18 against movement in a direction to permit release of the pressure there is provided a sliding pawl I88 drawn by a spring I82 into engagement with. a stationary ratchet segment'I84 secured to the side of the overhanging portion of the upright I58. A pin I85 projecting from the side of the pawl permits it readily to be withdrawn from the ratchet segment to allow the pressure to be released.

It will now be understood that the manually operable lever H8 may be employed to move the pressure screw and the presser foot I42 rapidly downward to apply preliminary pressure to the heel and shoe, the lever being automatically locked by the pawl 588, and then the hand wheel H58 may be utilized to turn the screw to provide increased final pressure, the locked worm gear I'I8 constituting a stationary nut for the screw and the pressure being applied through the heavy spring I64 which may yield slightly and so measure the pressure as to facilitate the application of substantially the same pressure to various pieces of work.

For the purpose of controlling the connection of the jack to the driving member 26 and its disconnection therefrom thereis provided in the jack carrier 55 a slidable latch bar I86, best shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which is normally urged rear- Ward by a spring I68, engaging a pin I96 which projects from the side of the latch bar, to a position where the nose I92 of the bar will be engaged by one of the driving dogs 39 as a result of which the jack carrier and the jack will be moved along the orbital track 52, 54. In order to disengage the latch bar from the driving dog there is provided at each station Where it is desired that the jackshall stop a stop member I 94 carried by a slide I96 guided for vertical movement in a dovetail guideway formed in the face of the track rail 54 and the bracket by which it is supported. The stop member I94 has an inclined cam face I98 arranged to be engaged by a roll 206 on the under side of the front end of the latch bar I86. It will be seen that when the roll 26!) rides up the surface I68 the latch bar will be drawn forward to the position illustrated in Fig. 6 where it is disengaged from the driving dog 36 and, the roll falling into a pocket 262 in the stop member I94, the jack carriage will be detained and held stationary until released.

Means is provided to permit the operator to release the latch bar I86 manually at-will when he is ready to permit the jack to be reconnected to the driving wheel and again moved along the track. This means comprises a hand lever 204 which is pivoted to the arm 50 at 206 and is pivotally connected to the slide I96 at 266. A spring pressed plunger 2H3 in a rearward extension 2I2 of the lever 234 reacts against a stationary abutment 2! upon the arm 56, tending to hold the slide I 96 elevated but permitting the said slide to be lowered by depressing the hand lever 204 until the stop I94 is moved below the roll 200, thereby disengaging the latter and permitting the spring I86 to snap the latch bar I86 rearward whereupon its nose 492 is almost immediately engaged by the next driving dog 30 to reach it and the jack is moved along to the next station where it is automatically stopped unless, before reaching the next station, it collides with a preceding jack, in which case it is instantly disconnected from the driving dog 30 and comes to a stop. The mechanism for effecting this disconnection will now be described.

Depending from the rear end of the latch bar I36 is a pin 2E6 (see Fig. '7) which is embraced by the forked end 2I8 of a lever 226 which is pivoted at 222 to the under side of the carrier 56. The other end of the lever carries a roll 224 which is arranged to engage an inclined cam surface 226 (see Figs. 2 and 6) formed upon a trailing extension 228 of the carrier 56. By inspecting Fig. 6 it will be seen that this engagement will occur and that the roll 224 will assume 'the position shown in broken lines in time to permit a following jack to be disconnected from the driving wheel before it does damage to the next jack in advance of itself with which it is about to collide. The swinging of the lever 22!! resulting from the I roll 224 riding upon the cam face 226 of the next jack causes the latch bar I86 to be disconnected from the driving dog 30 and held out of the path of the latter until the next jack ahead is removed, whereupon the latch bar is again projected into the path of one of the driving dogs 36 and the travel of the jack is resumed.

Mechanism responsive to the travel of the jack for automatically providing a follow-up pressure to compensate for yielding or contraction of the materials will now be described.

The upper portion of the pressure screw I56 is provided with elongated pinion teeth 230 which are'engaged by a gear segment 232. pinned to the upper end of a vertical shaft 234 rotatable in bearings 236, 238 in the upright I50. To the lower end of the shaft 234 is pinned a ratchet wheel 246 which may be engaged by a pawl 242 pivoted at 244 to the outer end of a swinging arm 246 and pressed toward the ratchet wheel 240 by a spring The arm 246 is loosely journaled upon the shaft 234 between the ratchet wheel and the bearing 238 and is normally swung back against an adjustable stop screw 256 by a spring 252 surrounding a guide rod 254 which is pivoted at 256 to the arm 246 and passes loosely through an opening in the upright I56. Another adjustable stop screw 258 is arranged to engage the pawl and throw it out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 24!] when the arm 246 is all of the way back against the stop screw 256 but to permit the pawl to be engaged with the ratchet WHeel by the spring 248 as soon as the arm 246 is swung in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8.

The shaft 234 is surrounded by torsion spring 266 which tends to turn it and the gear segment 232 in a clockwise direction, looking down, and,

therefore, to unscrew the pressure screw I56.

Since the spring 266 is relatively light this will occur only when the pawl 242 is disengaged from the ratchet 246 and when no pressure is being applied to the work. This is merely for the purpose of restoring the presser foot I42 to its highest position after the work has been released and the lever I78 thrown up.

When a jack, containing a shoe and heel clamped under pressure, moves along the track to a position where a roll 262 journaled upon the pivot pin 244 encounters the face 48 of one of the stationary spider arms 42, 44, 46 the arm 246 will be swung about the axis of the shaft 234, causing the shaft to be rotated by the pawl and ratchet 242, 240 and, through the gear segment 232 and pinion 236, causing the pressure screw 55% to be turned down to apply a follow-up pressure to the work. Although the stationary spider is shown as having three arms, this number may be varied to produce the desired number of increments of follow-up pressure and the amount of each such increment may be varied by adjustment of the stop screw 250.

Referring now to Figs. 9 and 10, the last II2 has in the interior of its heel seat portion a movable pressure plate 264 from which a rod 266 extends to the cone of the last, the said rod having a head 258 between which and the last is interposed a light spring 216 which tends to hold the pressure plate 264 down flush with the surrounding last heel plate 212.

Mounted in the last support I !0 is a plunger 214 carrying a button 216 pressed upward by a relatively stiff spring 278 and normally projecting somewhat above the surface of the support I It]. When the last is placed upon the last pin II4 the head 268 of the rod 266 will engage the button 215 and when downward pressure is applied to the shoe upon the last the pressure plate 264 will be forced against the interior of the heel seat portion of the insole of the shoe with a pressure determined by the strength of spring 218. This aids in bringing the parts of the work firmly togefher over their entire areas.

In the illustrated machine four operating stations are provided and in Figs. 1 and 2 these have been designated A, B, C and D, respectively. At station A there is provided mechanism for molding the heel seat of a shoe to conform to the cup of the heel to be attached thereto. This mechanism comprises an electrically heated molding die 280 pivotally supported in the forked end 282 of a hollow arm'284 provided with a handle 286 and arranged to slide longitudinally through a sleeve 288 connected by a universal joint to an arm 290. The arm 2% is supported by a stationary bracket 292 bolted to the tracks 52, 54 and may swing in a horizontal plane about a vertically arranged pivot 294 which is surmounted by a table 296 upon which the die 289 may be placed when not in use. Electric current for heating the die is conducted to it by a conductor 298 passing through the hollow arm 284 and the die is so designed that the presser foot I42 can be brought down on top of it to apply molding pressure to the heel seat oithe shoe.

The operation of the machine will now be described. A lasted shoe is first placed upon the last support I ID of the jack at station A and the back gage I24 is, if necessary, adjusted to the shoe. The heated molding die is then positioned upon the heel seat of the shoe and the hand lever I18 is pulled down to apply pressure. If the pressure produced by the hand lever is insufiicient to secure the desired molding effect it may be increased to any required degree by turning the hand wheel I60 which will rotate the pressure screw I56 and produce as heavy pressure as may be needed.

After the heel seat is sufficiently molded the pressure is released and the heel seat molding die 280 is removed from the shoe and placed upon the table 296. The operator now depresses the handle 204, permitting the jack carrier to be connected by the driving wheel 26 and causing the jack to be moved along the track to station B where it is automatically stopped by the stop member I94 at that station.

At station B an operator may apply a heel to the shoe with cement or other adhesive interposed between them, positioning the heel firmly against the portion of the combination back gage I24 which projects above the shoe bottom. This operator will now repeat the pressure applying operation, first pulling down the lever I18 to apply preliminary clamping pressure to the heel and shoe and then turning the hand wheel ISO to apply an increased final pressure. With the parts of the work securely clamped under pressure, this operator now depresses the handle 204 at station B releasing the jack and permitting it to proceed, under the influence of the driving wheel 26, toward station C. Ordinarily, from the time the shoe and heel are placed under pressure at station B, the pressure is not released until the jack has made the circuit of the track and arrived again at station A, where the pressure is released and the shoe, with the heel attached,

removed. If, however, it is for any reason desired to release the pressure at any stage of the journey of the jack around the track, this may be readily done and the pressure may thereafter be re-applied, if desired.

Each station is provided with a stop device I94 and if a jack is released at station B, for example, before the jack at station C is released, it will merely move along to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2 and stop until the jack at station C is released and allowed to move on. This is true of any jack which encounters a stationary jack ahead of itself at any place in its path of movement around the track.

The purpose of station C is to provide for rasping the joint between the heel breast and the shoe sole and applying cement to the heel breast and breast flap, while station D is provided for laying the breast flap upon the heel breast and rubbing it up. Obviously, an operator may be provided at each station or a single operator may pass from one station to another to perform the different operations. toomit some of the operations the stop elements I94 at one or more stations may be fastened down so that the jacks will not stop at these stations.

The track 52, 54 may be made as large as necessary to accommodate as many jacks as desired since each jack is separate from all the others and the number of jacks to be employed will be determined by the length of time it is desired that each shoe shall remain under pressure.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a heel attaching machine, the combination of a jack movable through a plurality of operating stations, means for moving the jack through said stations, means at one of said stations for molding the heel seat of a shoe upon the jack, means for detaining the jack at a succeeding station to permit a heel tobe applied to the shoe, and means upon the jack for clamping the heel under pressure upon the molded heel seat.

2. In a heel attaching machine, the combination of a jack movable through a plurality of operating stations, means for moving the jack through said stations, means at one of said stations for molding the heel seat of a'shoe upon the jack, means for detaining the jack at a succeeding station to permit aheel to be applied to the shoe, means upon the jack for clamping the heel under pressure upon the molded heel seat, and means at a subsequent station for increasing the clamping pressure.

3. In a heel attaching machine, the combination of a movable jack, means for moving the jack along a predetermined path, means for applying clamping pressure to a heel and shoe upon the jack, and follow-up means at a plurality of separated positions adjacent to said path for restoring or increasing said pressure from time to time as the jack is moved along the path.

4. In a heel attaching machine, the combination of a movable jack, means for moving the jack along a predetermined path, screw means for applying clamping pressure to a heel and shoe upon the jack, and means for automatically turning the pressure screw in the pressure increasing direction as the jack is moved along said predetermined path. 7 v

5. In a heel attaching machine, the combination of a movable jack, means for moving the jack along a predetermined path, screw means for applying clamping pressure to a heel and shoe upon the jack, pawl and ratchet means for turning the pressure screw in pressure increasing direction, and means for'engaging and operating pressure screw for actuating said presser foot, a

worm gear engaging the screw and manually op- Moreover, if it be desired erable to move the screw rapidly lengthwise to apply preliminary pressure to the heel and shoe,

means for locking the worm gear, manual means for turning the screw to provide increased final pressure, and automatic means for turning the screw further to provide follow-up pressure.

7. In a heel attaching machine, the combination of a jack base, a cradle pivotally mounted to swing freely about an axis above and transverse to the jack base, a last support so positioned upon a heel upon a lasted shoe upon said support, a pressure screw for actuating said presser foot, a Worm gear engaging the screw and operable to move the screw rapidly lengthwise to apply preliminary pressure to the heel and shoe, and means 5 for turning the screw to provide increased final pressure.

- JOHN T. LANCASTER. 

